1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for stimulating muscles. More particularly, the invention relates to a device and method for stimulating muscles to maximize muscular development while minimizing required physical exertion and stress on the muscles, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Existing exercise machines generally provide a means for offering resistance to voluntary movement of various limbs of the body, or in some devices, provide a means for imparting motion to various parts of the human body when the body is in a relaxed, passive state. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,028 to McCleod et al. (McCleod) discloses a method and apparatus that allegedly promotes bone tissue growth by imparting a mechanical load to the bone tissue. The McCleod device includes upper and lower rigid plates with spring means positioned between the plates to support the upper plate relative to the lower plate, and dynamic force transducers positioned between the plates to vertically drive the upper plate with respect to the lower plate. The spring means between the plates is selected such that the natural frequency of the device in combination with a body positioned on the upper plate will fall into the range between 10 and 50 Hz. The upper plate always remains parallel to the lower plate, with the peak-to-peak vertical displacements imparted by the dynamic force transducers between the plates being limited to no greater than 2 mm such that the strain induced on a body positioned on the upper plate will not exceed 500 microstrain. McCleod discloses that in order to minimize the chance of injury to the patient and bone tissue being treated, the peak-to-peak dynamic acceleration imparted to the body by the device should not exceed 0.3 g (corresponding to a peak-to-peak displacement of 2.0 mm). The McCleod device and method is designed to drive the combination of the upper plate and a body standing on the upper plate in a vertical direction and at its natural resonant frequency. The sole purpose of the McCleod device is to generate a load on the bone tissue that mimics a load generally created on the bone tissue by certain muscle contractions. The McCleod device does not provide any beneficial development of the muscles themselves or of the neural patterns characterizing normal patterns of movement of the body.
Soviet Union Publication 1344356 (SU '356) discloses a method of stimulating muscles using a combination of electrical and vibration stimulation. SU '356 does not disclose an apparatus for performing the stimulation other than to indicate that a cord and block attached to a vibro-stimulator can be used in order to raise a limb up to an accessible position. The vibro-stimulation is always performed on the muscle-antagonist, while the electro-stimulation is performed on the muscle-synergist (muscle-protagonist). A user of the method taught by SU '356 flexes a muscle while synchronized vibration and electrical stimulation is conducted. The vibro-stimulation is transferred to the muscle-antagonist in order to assist in expansion of the muscle-antagonist. Under the influence of vibro-stimulation, an increase in the amplitude of the expansion of the muscle-antagonist takes place, while under the influence of electro-stimulation, the concentric contraction of the muscle-synergist (or muscle-protagonist) increases, which leads to an increase in the active and passive mobility of the area around the muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,436 to Hueftle (Hueftle) discloses a machine having a pair of vertically movable footboards that are arranged parallel to each other with the bottoms of the rear ends of each of the footboards riding on rotatable cams that provide alternating reciprocating vertical movement of the footboards. The alternating movement of the footboards is performed to simulate a walking motion and is therefore performed at a very low frequency. The amount of vertical movement of the rear ends of the footboards is limited by the eccentricity of the rotatable cams, and therefore the only adjustment of amplitude of movement for a user is achieved by the user moving closer to or farther away from the rear ends of the footboards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,002 to Riddle et al. (Riddle) discloses a passive motion physical therapy device having a centrally located body support member for supporting the buttocks of a patient and hingedly attached support members on both sides of the centrally located body support member for supporting the upper and lower torso of the patient. Two actuators driven by a single motor are provided with displacement cams that allow the upper and lower torso support members to be simultaneously oscillated either in phase or out of phase. The device taught by Riddle is simply a passive motion physical therapy device that moves portions of the body of a patient without resulting in any contraction of the muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,651 to Homyonfer et al. (Homyonfer) discloses an exercise device having a plate that can be pivoted about a central axis with energy absorbing elements connected to both ends of the plate to provide a desired degree of resistance to pivotal movement of the plate about its central axis. A user of the Homyonfer device places at least one foot on the pivotal plate with a heel toward one end of the plate and the toes toward the opposite end of the plate. An exercise movement consists of raising the heel and applying pressure with the toes or applying pressure with the heel and raising the toes. The user exercises by applying a moment to the pivotal plate against the resistance of the energy absorbing elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 850938 to Kellogg (Kellogg) discloses a dumbbell housing an electric motor that drives a shaft connected to an eccentric mass such that when the shaft is rotated by the motor the dumbbell is vibrated.
None of the conventional exercise machines provide a method or device for stimulating a muscle or group of muscles in the proper manner to promote rapid development of the muscles while minimizing stress on the musculature, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Existing exercise machines also do not provide a means for stimulating muscles in a manner that allows for rapid development of the neural patterns associated with a body's natural movements.